My wife's '97 4runner seems to have developed a nice little shake in the front end when the brakes are applied. After a little research, seems we're not the only one! I would like to replace the pads as well as have the discs machined, but I'm not too sure how difficult it will be to remove them-- do the rotors just pop off, or will I have to get into the 4wheel dr. hub? any ideas would be much appreciated.
Brake Rotor Removal
Aug 03, 2006
4 Replies
The 97 should have tophat rotors, so you won't have to mess with the bearings.
When you remove the caliper and the bracket that holds the pads, the rotors will come right off. I recommend investing in OEM pads and rotors instead of having the rotors machined. Machined rotors tend to re-develop the brake shudder rather quickly.
==================== Yes and no. In theory they should just release once the wheel is removed, but on the Camry I've found I need to thread two small bolts into the holes provided to break the rotor loose from the hub.
Actually, the rotor will not release just by removing the wheel. The caliper and bracket that holds the pads must also come off before the rotor will come off.
As far as the rotor sticking to the hub, you can prevent this by applying a thin coating of anti-seize or high temp wheel bearing grease where the hub contacts the rotor.
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